Signaling device



SIGNALING DEVICE.

' APPLICATION FILED FEB. II. 191s.

GIIIIIIIII Patented J an. 13; i920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Mp. ZZ

I -f1w I i IRVIN W. GRUHL, OF LO-SANQELES, CALIFORNIA.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

T0 all whom t may concern.' v 'Be it known that I, IRVIN W. GRUHL, a

. citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Signaling Device, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a signaling device for use primarily in the autombile traffic, though it mayl readily be adapted in connection with other forms of conveyance. Collisions and accidents often occur due to misunderstanding between drivers passing in the same or opposite directions, and in crowded centers considerable danger arises fromthe uncertainty attendant upon the movements of app`roaching and receding vehicles. Much of this danger could be eliminated by providing the vehicleswith visual signals showing i the intended movement of the vehicle, that is, whether the driver will turn his vehicle to the right or to the left, or will slow it down preparatory to stopping.

It is the object of this invention, first, to provide simple, quick and efficient signal means by which the driver may make known his intentions inthe above respects. Sec-k ond, to provide av compact form of signal means that may be built into the motor car by the manufacturer'and concealed from view when not 'in signaling commission, thus to retain the graceful lines, beauty and neat appearance of the car body.

Broadly considered 'the invention ,com-

prises signal arms concealed within the motor car body and adapted to project out,

-one from eitheror both sides thereof, into extended signaling position to indicate the' intended movement of the car. Said arms are preferably of a foldable nature and may be operated either manually or by electrical means, the latter being shown and described in the presentinstance.

Other objects and advantages m'ay appear `from the subjoi-ned detailed description to- Fig; 2 is a side elevationfrom the left of Fig. 1, showing a vclosure plate in position L Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Jan, Application led February 11 19.18. Serial No. 246,625.

to conceal the left hand signall arm from' f view. f

Fig. 3l is a diagrammatic wiring plan indicating the right hand signal extended as in Fig.- 1.

Fig. 4 1s a detail sectional Aelevation viewed from line Figs. 6 and 7 showing a signal arm mounted in position in its casing. Solid lines show the arm extended 'into signaling position. land dot-and-dash lines indicate the arm retracted within the casing.-

Fig.v 5 isa similarview showing the arm retracted and concealed within the casing, a portion ofwhich is shown in outside elevation. y

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical cross-section on line m, Figs. 4 and 7.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan section viewed from irregular line m7, Figs. 4 andv 6, showing parts in an extended signaling position'. corresponding to solid lines of Fig. 4. A. portion of the arm is tract the view. t Arrows on theV various section li-nes indi-` cate the direction of sight.

As seen from Figs. land 2 my signaling device comprises two armsV 1, 2, of av foldable nature that are mounted one upon each side of the car and are adapted to ldisappear from view within the vcar body when not in signaling use. Said foldable arms are oppositely arranged and may be positioned to extend out from the sidedoors 3 o r lrearwardly of said doors so as to' disappear be broken away t0 con.'

hind or under the seat 4. In the present instancefhowever, said arms are arranged to extend out through .an aperture 5 in the cowl 6 just forwardly of the inclined dash board 7 there being a casing 8 extending inwardly from and communicating with the cowl aperture 5 to thus form a recess or housing for each arm when in its folded position. Each casing may be of any desirable form and shape to suitthe type of ksignal arm used and in the form shown is bounded by side walls 9,'-top and bottom walls 10, 11, respectively, and an end wall 12, the mouth 13 opposite said end wall being open. and adapted to register with the cowl aperture 5. An encircling flange 15 at said mouth 13 serves to hold the casing in place against l the inside of thecowl 6, there being screws 16 passing thrpughthe fiange'and into the body of said cowl.

The foldable signal arms may be of a The frame levers 19, 20, forming similar` pairs, are connected together at their ex.

tremities by pivots 21 and at their centers by pivots 22, the outer terminal center pivot 23 also servinglto mount the indicator disk 18 while the inner terminal pivot 24 serves as an actuating knee pivot.4 Force applied to the knee pivot through the short terminal .actuating lever arms a serves to move the levers 19, 20 toward or from one another to respectively retract or extend the signal arm. i

Suitable closure means are provided to lit over' each of the cowl apertures 5 when the respective arnisl, 2, are folded up within their casings to thus conceal each arm together with its indicator disk entirely from view, which means consists of a closure plate 25y conforming in shape to and being of'the same size as the aperture. Said vclosure plate is secured to the indicator disk 18 at substantially right angles thereto, there being lugs 26 on the plate for this purpose that are riveted at 27 to the edge of the disk. The arrangement of parts is such that when the indicator 18 is in retracted :position within the casing 8 the closure plate 25 will t snugly i'nto the cowl aperture 5,` its outer surface being flush with and conformingto the body lines of thecar. fect may be attained by lacing a monogram 28 (see Fig. 2) upon t e outer surface of the closure plate so that when said plate is in place with the signal arm retracted within the recess the plate presents the appearance of an outlined monogram upon the side u thus turn the closure of the car.

To firmly mount the indicator disk 18 upon the ,outer end of the lazy tongs frame and at the same time permit free movement of the outer term" al levers 19, 20, relative to the disk 18 uring expansion and contraction of the frame, I have terminated each of said terminal levers 19, 2O in fingers or bent-over tips l29 that, are positioned in oppositely arranged circular slots 30, 31 in the disk.

move toward and 'from one another the'tips 29 move around in said slots. adapted to abut against the rear shoulder I) of its respective slot when the signal arm is in retracted osition Within the casing, so that should t e disk shift about its pivot 23 during retracting movement of the arm and plate 25 out 'of alining position, the action o A decorative eof- Said slots are concentric with the .disk pivot 23 so that as the operating levers Each tip is thetips 29 iii-engag- 1,a27,sis

ing with the shoulders b upon completion ofL said movement will insure the closure plate turning into vertical alinement with the aperture 5 before fitting into it to close the same. Correspondingly .each tip abuts against the front shoulders c when the arm is in extended positon to thus hold the disk and closure plate in proper position.

Guide means are provided to hold the frame arm 171` in proper horizontal alinement with its casing during the back -andforth movement thereof and in the present v instance comprises the' knee pivot pin 24 of the actuating lever arms a', said pivot pin extending across transversely of the casing with its ends runnin@ in longitudinal guideways 33 formed one in each of the side walls 9 of the easing. Sets of retaining washers may be pinned or otherwise suitably fastened to the knee pivot pin 24 to form shoulders 34 and 35, the shoulders 34 being positioned one at each side of the lever arm 17 to prevent relative lateral movement between. the knee pin and arm, and the shoulders 35 being positioned adjacent the side walls 9 to prevent relative lateral movement lbetween said pin and casing. With this arrangement the pin 24 will run inthe side guide-ways 33 duringthe back-and-forth movement o f the arm from and-to the casing and hold said arm from drooping as well as' to prevent any lateral play thereof. Bythis means the closure plate 23 will always come into proper register with the aperture 5 to V close the same upon retraction of the arm.

For operating with the signal arms at night it is essential thatineans be provided to illuminatel each Vindicator disk 18 when out in signaling position and accordingly electric lamps 36 are suitably located relative to the'disks, there being in the instance shown a socket 37 arranged in each disk edgewiseI thereof and positioned adjacent an opening 38that will accommodate the lamp when seated in place in the socket. Said vlamp is .located intermediate the closure plate 25 and disk pivot 23 so as not to be' in the way of the levers'19, 20. A circuit breaker in.the form of a depending spring Vlinger 39 projecting into the path of the knee pin 24 is interposed in the'lamp cir-i cuit and is electrically connected through bindng post 40, battery 41 and switch 42 with the lamp, the other terminal of which lis grounded at 43. The lamp circuit is openedand closed through the medium ot the circuit brea'ker 39, being operated to close the circuit as tlie knee pin 24 contacts .therewith upon completion of the arm extending movement to thus light the lamp 36 and illuminate the indicator disk when out in its signaling position,and being operated to open the circuit upon Withdrawal of the knee pin therefrom as the arnistarts upon 't its retraction `movementl thus to put the the armatures and retract said frame. electro-magnets for each .signal arm are lamp out. In case of day-time operation of the signal arms the switch 42 is opened t0 thus cut the lamps 36 out of circuit, said switch controlling the lamp circuits for both arms as seen by Fig. 3. l.'

The signal arms are preferably operated 'by suitable' electrical means and for this pin'- pose the actuating arms a, ofthe lever frame are pivote-d at 44 to oppositely arranged armatures 45 that are each slidably mounted upon guides 46 and arranged to operate between respective pairs of electro-magnets 47, 48,. the'inner magnets 47 of each pair being connected together and energized to at tract the armatures 45 and extend the lever frame, and the outer' magnets 48 beingconnected together and energized to attract The shown included in separate magnetic circuits (see Fig. 3) controlled by a switch block`49 having switch buttons 50, 51 for the right hand signal arm and buttons 52, 53 for the left hand'signal arm.

Referring to Fig. 1 the switch block 49 is 4seen mounted upon the dash board 7 together with the other dash control. accessories, but it is understood that said switch I-block may be mounted upon the steering standard s, (see Fig. 2) or otherwise appropriately positioned. Said switches are of ordinary construction and in the arrangement shown one button Aof each pair is pressed to thrust out the corresponding signal arm as indicating the intended change of movement, the other being pressed to'retract said arm into its concealed position within the recess 8.

The detail Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 illustrate thel right hand signaling arm and similar parts of the left hand arm, shown in Figs. 1 and 3, are vindicated by similar reference characters with the additions of indices.

Batteries 54, 54 are shown as an operating power source but a generator .or any' foldable arm 1- upon the right hand side of v the vehicle to thrust out the indicator disk 18 end thus signal to vehicles or edes'trians both behind and in front. Simi arly if the arms and their indicator disks.

as hereinbefore described.

' 3. In combinatiom'a daytime operation when thev driver wishes to indicate his intention of lturning his vehicle to the right he operatesv switch Ilbutton V 50, thereby extending the v into signaling driver` desires to signal his intention of turning to the left he operates switch button 52 so as to extend the arm 2 upon'the left hand side of the vehicle to throw ont the indicator disk. To signal his intention of stopping both of said buttons may be operated `to simultaneously throw lout both .In case of night-time operation the driver closesthe switch 42 of the lamp circuit, as in solid lines in Fig. 3, whereupon the electric lamps 36, 36 on the indicator disks are lighted to illuminate the respective disks when the same are out in slgnaling position In order that my signaling device shall be more readily intelligible the indicator disks may be given different standard and characteristic colors, universally adopted and understood by all drivers. A

1. In combination, a motor car provided with a recess at each side of the body thereof, a lever frame adapted to fold into said recess, pairs -of electro-magnets mounted within said recess, armatures operatably positioned between the magnets of said pairs,

and connected with the two terminal levers of the frame, said magnets being adapted to attract the armatures to thus extend and re tract the frame. o

2. In combination, a motor car provided 'with an aperture at each side of the body thereof, a casing extending inwardly from and communicating` with rsaid aperture, a oldable lazy tongs Jframe mounted in the casing and .adapted to extend through the aperture into'signaling'position, pivots connecting the levers of said frame together at their centers, an indicator disk carried by the outer terminal ivot and provided with oppositely arranged) slots formed concentric to said terminal pivot, a closure plate .secured tosaid disk at the outer edge thereof and adapted to close the aperture .when the frame is folded within the recess, the outer terminal levers of saidframe having lingers f i v thereof, a casing extending inwardly from v and communicating with said aperture,y said 'casing' being provided with longitudinal guide-ways in the sides thereof, a foldable with the aperture before fitting intol lazy tongs frame mounted in the casing and adapted to extend through the aperture osition, pivots connecting the levers of said frame to ether ,at their centers, the inner terminal pivot extending transversely of said casing and having its ends slidably mounted in said guide-ways to maintain the frame in lon itudinal alinement with the casing, an in lcator disk carried by the outer terminalpivot and pro.

vided with oppositely arranged slots formed concentric to said outer terminal pivot, a closure plate secured to said disk at the outer edge thereof and adapted to close the aperture when the frame is folded within the recess, the outer, terminal levers ofl said frame havin fingers osition'ed in said slots, said fingers a apted to abutagainst ein the-ends 0f the slots upon retraction of the mounted in said casing, electro-magnets po` sitioned in two pairs on said rack, armatures operatably positioned between' the magnets o each pair, a lazy tongs frame having the inner terminal levers thereof connected with said armatures, an indicator disk carried by the' outer terminal levers of said frame, said magnets being adapted to attract'the armato respectively thrust the indicator out from the casing into signaling position and to retract the ASame into'concealinentwithin the casing, and closure means connected with the frame to close the aperture when said f" A frame is retracted within the casing."

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 4 day of Feb., 1918. 1

y IRvIN W.GRUHL.

Witness: c

WILLIAM N. KIRKBY,

30 tures to thus expand and contract the frame 

